Andrea De Cruz, the bubbly host of a lifestyle show, was stricken with acute liver failure at the age of 27 and needed an urgent transplant to survive the week.

Pierre Png, a heartthrob who works for the same TV station, offered almost half of his liver to save her life in a complex operation which ended Wednesday.

"This is better than any drama serial the TV station can come up with," one professional woman who asked not to be named said.

Local newspapers have dedicated pages to the intricacies of the procedure, alongside tales of Png's devotion to De Cruz.

"Pierre's actions show how much he loves her and how much he really cares," a friend of the couple's told the Straits Times newspaper.

Flowers and teddy bears have landed at the hospital as the clock ticks through the critical 48 hours after the surgery.

"Andrea has regained consciousness and is now still resting," a hospital statement said Thursday. "She has been taken off the respirator."

According to the Straits Times, Png's first words on waking after surgery were to ask how his girlfriend was.

Both were reported to be in stable condition.

(Agencies)